Tiers and Benefits Best Practices

June 01, 2018Patreon U Team

The Value Exchange

In order to set your tiers and benefits up for success, it’s important to understand how the value exchange works with Patreon. Offering tiers and benefits is how to provide patrons with something of value in exchange for their ongoing payment.

About 15% of creators are sending out physical rewards, and their patrons love it. Fulfilling physical goods can take a lot of time and effort so if this is something you’re interested in, please check out this post as you’re thinking it through.

Polls and being open to suggestions

You know your fans have lot they want to share with you, and offering a way to get their feedback can also be a benefit tier! About 10% of successful creators are using Patreon tools such as polling as a way to reward their passionate patrons while also gaining insight into their audience.

Recognition

More often than not, your fans just want to be a part of you journey, and acknowledging them is a great way to keep them engaged and happy along the way. About 5% of successful creators use recognition tools to say “hey!” to their biggest fans, whether that’s adding their name to the credits of a video, in album liner notes, or thanking your patrons at live events.

Benefits Best Practices

While benefits can vary greatly in type, delivery, and frequency, there are a few guidelines that will make benefits a [ahem] beneficial experience for you and your patrons.

Offer Exclusivity

What are some things you can offer your audience that are manageable for you, and also feel like you’re truly pulling back the curtain and welcoming your most passionate fans into your inner circle? That’s what they want.

Personalize Tiers

Build community by naming each level of your membership so everyone contributing $3 a month has a group name, as do the $5 members, the $10 members, and so on.

Consider Appeal

What you offer needs to appeal to the masses - your masses. Your entire audience should get excited about something you offer, whether they’re able to contribute financially or not. Make sure what you offer is something most of them would enjoy.

Offer Short and Long-term Incentives

It’s great to think of time-sensitive benefits, especially when you want to drive up the number of patrons you have. Limited-time offers can work really well for this. Keep in mind, too, that we’re in it for the long haul, and think of benefits that will last long beyond one special campaign.

Embrace Fan Recognition

As we noted above, fans love it when they know you know about them. Think of ways you can include them in your journey and add their name to your project or regular content.

Want more specifics to get started? Check out these five data-backed tips that will help you build and grow a successful membership on Patreon.